VITAS Sees Census, Workforce Rebound Amid Lingering Headwinds

Workforce and patient census are rebounding for the Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE) subsidiary VITAS Healthcare, but financial pressure points remain. The gains have come with significant effort and costs, including the roll out of its recruitment and retention bonus program last July. Since then, the hospice provider has seen sequential improvements during the last four […]

High-Acuity Services Driving Admissions Growth at Amedisys

High-acuity care in the home has become an admissions growth engine for Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED), which the company delivers through its subsidiary Contessa. Combined, hospital-at-home and skilled nursing facility-at-home admissions grew by 55% year-over-year during the second quarter of the year. This is compared to a 4% increase in home health same-store admissions and a […]

UnitedHealth Group CEO Offers Update on Amedisys Deal: ‘We’re Now in The Very Early Stages of That Process’

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) has been relatively quiet on its strategic plans with Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED), which it is in the process of acquiring via its subsidiary, Optum. The company shed some light on how the home health and hospice asset will fit into its overall scope of services Friday, however. Optum announced plans to […]

Aveanna Execs: ‘Still in a Slugfest’ for Labor

Staffing and reimbursement headwinds remain sticking points for Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAH) home health and hospice margins. The company’s margins for that segment fell to 44.6% in Q1 from 48.7% during the same period in 2022. But payer relationships will be a key to thwarting these pressures, according to executives. Though Aveanna’s home […]

Enhabit Sees Hospice Workforce Constraints Ease, Admissions Decline

Enhabit Inc. (NYSE: EHAB) is seeing staffing-related capacity constraints start to ease despite a rocky quarter for its hospice segment. The company hired 101 full-time nurses during the first quarter, including 91 in home health and 10 in hospice. Overall, its full-time vacancy rate dropped from 24.3% to 23.8%, about 50 basis points, according to […]

The Pennant Group Reinforcing Local Executive Teams While on the Hunt for Hospice Deals 

As The Pennant Group (NASDAQ: PNTG) searches out more hospice and home health assets, the company is focusing heavily on developing its next generation of leaders. Pennant has its sights on multiple potential transactions across its hospice, home health and senior living business lines. The company targets sellers largely based on “long-term upside value” and […]

Addus Sees Hospice Improvements, Plans to Rebalance Home Health-Personal Care M&A Activity

Addus HomeCare Corporation’s (NASDAQ: ADUS) hospice segment is seeing slow but steady improvement as pandemic headwinds ease. Meanwhile, the company’s near-term acquisition sights are set more on home health than in personal care amid potential payment shifts. Like many hospice providers, Addus has faced COVID-19 challenges that include reduced patient volumes and shorter length of […]

Bonus Program Propels Capacity Gains as VITAS Moves Towards Post-Pandemic Rebound

Investments in their workforce have spurred VITAS Healthcare forward on the road to pre-pandemic financial and clinical performance. Like many providers, VITAS has traversed some rough terrain since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020. A rash of industry-wide headwinds compressed margins and depressed revenue, including spiking supply and labor costs, reduced referrals and length of […]

Humana’s CenterWell Poised for Growth After Solidification of Hospice Sale

Following its hospice divestiture, Humana’s (NYSE: HUM) health care services business, CenterWell, is poised for growth, with demand for acute senior home care as a driver. Humana anticipates expansion across each of CenterWell’s business lines, which encompasses the insurance mammoth’s home health, primary care, pharmacy and specialty pharmacy services. The segment also includes a joint […]

UnitedHealth Group ‘Expanding Scope’ of Home-Based Care

UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) sights are set on home-based care, as evidenced by its acquisitions and investments in value-based care. The insurance company’s subsidiary Optum Health recently completed its acquisition of Lousianna-based home health and hospice provider LHC Group for $5.4 billion. Acquiring LHC Group was a key step in UnitedHealth’s larger plan to delve […]